Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Zweefer on November 29, 2014, 05:15:10 pm
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I was out fixing a tarp on my boat next to my hives, and looked over to see bees through the upper exit.
Went over and took the top medium off (insulation) and found the bees on top of the frames, but still below the fondant I left.
I'm assuming they chimneyed straight up...
Not that there is anything I can do with high temps I the low 20's but any words of encouragement would be nice?
My current plan is to check every two weeks now to see if they need more fondant.
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Not to worry. I often have hives that are heavy and still find the bees hanging about up top. It seems some hives just do. On those I often do as you suggest, making sure there is fondant on top and then I monitor it every few weeks to see if they are actually using it.
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So Zweef, to bees ate the honey up thru the middle of the honey super, and are now where the fondant is...??
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Thanks Perry!
It's too cold for me to even think of opening up the hive, so unsure of the honey left in the supers. But yes Jen, they are at the fondant.
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Had a few cases last year where the cluster moved up early and stayed up. Just so happened they were hives with sugar cakes on top. They left honey down below. Kind of made me wonder about putting sugar on early.
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Its actually fairly common. As long as they have stores and a few days every now and then to beak cluster they will be fine. ;)
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zweef, what perry and rat said.......... ;)
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Zweef- "It's too cold for me to even think of opening up the hive, so unsure of the honey left in the supers. But yes Jen, they are at the fondant.
I am of the mind that they want to eat the lesser perfect food now, and save the real stuff for the deepest part of winter :)
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all of my hives were at the top of the hive for the start of this winter. In my most populous hive they even filled the space on top of the inner cover with bees. The top two inches of the cluster are just the insulating layer of bees anyway.
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Went to check and they were gone. Must have gotten warm enough to head back to the better stores.